I had a really big litter that was really taxing the mom and we were having to bottle feed. So I contacted a mentor of mine who instructed me to begin feeding the mother inside of the whelping area so that the puppies would start to naturally eat her food and sure enough it worked like a charm and now all the puppies are eating independently which has saved us time and the mother vital energy. Just wanted to pass on the method for anyone else that needs to help wean the puppies because the mom is having a tough time supplying enough milk. These puppies are 3 weeks old and that is about the time that they can start to do this Which is usually about the time that the mothers have a hard time keeping up (when you have a litter as big as this one.) They also have tiny teeth that are coming through now, so that also helps to identify the fact that they're starting to get ready to eat solid foods. You just take an all-ages appropriate grain-free dog food and soak it with the puppy formula. Then you mash it up into a very liquidy paste and put it in there for them to lick up.